Since 2015, we have been sampling small mammal populations on Gratiot Lake Conservancy land using mark-and-recapture technique. Carnivore surveys began a year earlier using remote sensing cameras. This work has revealed 15 species representing hundreds of different individuals. The small mammals appear to fluctuate asynchronously. Deer mice re on species that has been consistently very common during the past five years. Red squirrels and chipmunks are always present. You may have noticed this past summer, after a walk in the woods, that chipmunks were very common, the most numerous since 2015.
At least two species of shrews occur at GLC: the northern short-tailed shrew and the masked shrew. Interestingly, short-tailed shrews (Family Soricidae) are one of the few venomous mammal species in the world. I suspect other soricids are also around Gratiot Lake, such as the arctic shrew, least shrew, or American water shrew. Working with shrews generally requires the use of pitfall catch and release traps. We would like to find out the role these diminutive creatures play in mammalian communities at GLC.
Read more about mammals at GLC in our Fall 2020 Newsletter, Water’s Edge.